The citation of references herein shall not be construed as an admission that such is prior art to the present invention.
Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) connotes a group of genetic disorders that share in common a reduced ability of melanocytes in the skin, hair and eyes and retinal pigment epithelial cells to make melanin pigment. This results in abnormalities in development of the eye, in a greatly increased risk of sun induced skin cancers and in significant diminution in quality of life. So-called “tyrosinase-negative albinism” is due to mutations in the gene encoding tyrosinase, the rate limiting enzyme involved in melanin biosynthesis, that abolish the enzyme's activity. “Tyrosinase-positive” albinism connotes the forms of oculocutaneous albinism in which tyrosinase enzyme, with the potential to be functional, is made but may be misfolded or mistrafficked, or where melanin synthesis is reduced by changes in other gene products, for example the OCA2 and OCA3 gene products. Other than sun avoidance/sun protection strategies and use of aids to improve visual acuity, no treatment is available for any form of OCA.